1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to horizontal hinged door assemblies such as roof scuttles and, in particular, to roof scuttles which may easily be installed on roof curbs by unskilled labor to replace existing scuttles or on pre-built or built-on-site roof curbs to cover any shape opening on any roof surface and which scuttles are attached to the roof from the inside of the scuttle.
2. Description of Related Art
Horizontal hinged (covers) doors are commonly used for roof scuttles, automatic fire vents, ceiling access doors, basement doors and other access doors. The present invention will be directed for convenience to roof scuttles which are used to provide access to a roof but it will be appreciated to those skilled in the art that the invention is applicable to other horizontal hinged doors and other devices which do not open such as skylights.
Roof scuttles are ruggedly built for long, dependable service and generally comprise a rectangular frame which surrounds the opening to be covered with the frame being hinged to a door for motion of the door between an open and closed position. The conventional roof scuttle has a vertical sheet metal inner wall with an outwardly extending 90xc2x0 horizontal nailing flange at the bottom of the wall which flange is nailed or otherwise secured to the roof deck through holes provided in the flange. A curb such as a wooden beam forms the outer wall of the frame which is connected to a cap flashing. Roofing materials are then used to waterproof the outer wall of the frame typically by rolling the roofing along the roof surface and then up the vertical walls (curb) of the frame and securing the roofing material to the curb. When the roofing material is secured installation is complete.
Securing the roofing material to the roof scuttle frame requires experienced and skilled labor to properly waterproof the scuttle. A number of patents have issued in this area relating to forming a waterproof seal between a waterproof roofing material and the scuttle frame surrounding a roof opening. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,960,596, a roofing device is shown for sealing the roofing material to a roof scuttle having a curb wherein the roofing material is wrapped over an elongated resilient filler piece which is snuggly inserted into a filler channel between a wall flange and a top flange of the scuttle. A conventional roof scuttle is shown herein in FIG. 2 wherein the inner surface 19a of the roof scuttle is bent 90xc2x0 to form a base flange 23 which may be adhesively sealed and nailed or screwed in a conventional manner to the roof through openings 23a. The roof surface and outer wall curb 18a of the roof scuttle are covered with a roofing material which is then secured in place against the outer wall 18a. Another similar sealing system for a conventional roof scuttle is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,300. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,008 a frame assembly is shown for surrounding an opening in a building surface and for securing a waterproof roofing material to the frame assembly. All the above patents are hereby incorporated by reference.
While standard roof scuttles are designed for easy installation for both new and existing construction, the installation generally requires skilled labor to waterproof the scuttle. To install a new roof scuttle on an existing roof opening, the old scuttle is removed and any surrounding roofing materials removed to expose the existing opening. If the opening is irregular, wood or concrete may be used to properly size the opening to receive the new roof scuttle. The curb is waterproofed and the new scuttle securely fastened to the top of the curb using the nailing flange and a sealant under the flange as required. To complete the installation, roofing materials are then used to waterproof the outer wall of the scuttle as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,960,596, supra. Installation of a conventional roof scuttle therefore requires skilled labor, possible modifications to the roof and securing the roof scuttle using an external flange which may leak if not properly waterproofed.
Another problem with existing scuttle designs is that specifications vary in foreign countries and it has been found that the scuttles are improperly mounted on the roof or existing curbs leading to leakage and mechanical difficulties.
Bearing in mind the problems and deficiencies of the prior art, it is one object of the present invention to provide a roof scuttle for enclosing a roof opening which roof scuttle is easily installed by unskilled labor on any size pre-formed curb or curb formed on-site surrounding the roof opening.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a number of methods for installing a roof scuttle to cover a variety of openings in a roof which methods are easily performed by unskilled labor to provide a reliable waterproof seal.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a roof scuttle which is secured to a curb on the roof by anchor straps from the inside of the roof scuttle which provide an enhanced waterproof installation and are more secure than conventional scuttles using external fasteners such as nails and screws.
Still other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the specification.
The above and other objects, which will be apparent to those skilled in art, are achieved in the present invention which relates in one aspect to a roof scuttle for enclosing a roof opening comprising:
a plurality of elongate rectangular shaped frame members having a vertical outer wall and an opposed vertical inner wall and a connecting horizontal upper wall and a connecting horizontal lower wall and a downwardly and outwardly angled drip flange along the vertical outer wall and preferably at or near the junction of the outer wall and lower wall, which said frame members are connected together to form a rectangular scuttle frame, the scuttle frame having a front and a back and two opposed sides and an opening therebetween;
a hinge;
a door having a top, bottom and side edges, said door being hinged to the frame for motion of the door between an open position and a closed position;
the inner wall of the frame members preferably having openings therein to secure one end of an anchor strap therein with the other end of the anchor strap being secured to a curb surrounding the roof opening; and
wherein the lower wall of the frame member is positioned on the curb and secured to the curb and preferably the anchor strap secured to both the inner wall of the frame and to the curb securing the roof scuttle to the curb.
In another aspect of the invention a method is provided for installing a roof scuttle to cover a roof opening comprising the steps of:
providing a curb surrounding a roof opening to be enclosed by a roof scuttle;
supplying a roof scuttle comprising:
a plurality of elongate rectangular shaped frame members having a vertical outer wall and an opposed vertical inner wall and a connecting horizontal upper wall and a connecting horizontal lower wall and a downwardly and outwardly angled drip flange along the vertical outer wall and preferably at or near the junction of the outer wall and lower wall, which said frame members are connected together to form a rectangular scuttle frame, the scuttle frame having a front and a back and two opposed sides and an opening therebetween;
a hinge;
a door having a top, bottom and side edges, said door being hinged to the frame for motion of the door between an open position and a closed position;
the inner wall of the frame members preferably having openings therein to secure one end of an anchor strap with the other end of the anchor strap being secured to a curb surrounding the roof opening; and
wherein the lower wall of the frame member is positioned on the curb and secured to the curb and preferably the anchor strap secured to both the inner wall of the frame and to the curb securing the roof scuttle to the curb;
positioning the lower wall of the roof scuttle on the curb; and
securing the frame member to the curb preferably by securing one end of the anchor strap in the inner wall of the roof scuttle and the other end to the curb.
In yet another aspect of the invention the roof scuttle frame member is made from two pieces of sheet metal which are configured and secured together to form the frame member. A spacer/brace member is also preferably positioned in the frame opening to strengthen the frame.
In a further aspect of the invention the roof scuttle frame member is formed by extrusion.